I'm a skinny guy so gaining 6lbs in a year was a real big deal for me. And then after a 10 day vacation, the 2 more pounds I gained was loss in 2 days after returning. I try to eat as much as I can but it doesn't stay.

It must hold true for the simple sake of Energy Conservation. But, I understand that controlling hormones is a more efficient way of preventing weight gain. It is easier for your body to just not take the calories rather than burn them. But, our genetics are still based for nomads-- eat now and save energy for later.

The confusing thing is that if you look at your as a machine, for example an engine, the laws of conservation work. But there are SO many factors involved in the human body that realistically you can't come up with a nice simple equation of calories in = calories out. I know technically it's true, but even minor things like the storage of fat because of a drastic reduction of calories rejects the equation.

I like to say the equation is true, unless you're trying to gain or lose weight! I would be about a stone heavier if everything I consumed obeyed this law. At uni, I'm not very active and I eat and drink a lot!

Ironman wrote:Kenny brought up a good point that I didn't really touch on. When I talk about genetics being a limiting factor, I mean only in so far as achieving athletic or near athletic levels of bodyfat. Only those who are extremely obese, fall into the category I think require medical intervention.

For most people you can lose weight with the right program. Like myself as an example. I was just over 100 pounds too fat. That would even qualify for gastric bypass. So my genetics for getting lean are crap. But I lost it. I look closer to a linebacker or powerlifter than I do a bodybuilder, but that's pretty good all things considered.

Now people that are very overweight will have a harder time. They have to be more strict. But by cutting carbs and lifting weights, it's doable.

I can understand the fat people though. I had given up for a while. But then I learned about what works. So I can understand if they give up because they are told to do something that doesn't work. Now if they whine about not getting to eat junk food, or having to pump iron. Or they give up because the progress slows for a while.... I have no sympathy for that. Tough $h!t! That's what I say.

Ironman just out of interest, how long have you been interested in exercise/nutrition? You know a hell of a lot and I'm guessing it's not your career?

I started developing an interest in 2003, However it really wasn't until the following year that I really started learning. This website was my main source for exercise science and muscular anatomy. My Career is actually a Unix systems engineer.

I'm a big geek basically. I learn and retain large amounts of information about certain areas of interest. Or I may remember things from an article I happened to read because I saw it while doing something else and became curious, or I was looking at a wikipedia entry and got to clicking on links. I just think, "oh, whats that?" "What does that mean?" "I always wondered how that worked."

Mostly I know things about insulin resistance and obesity, because I had that problem. Any condition I have or things related to it. The human body in general, just because I have one. All the exercise and nutrition of course. Rationalism, skepticism, free thinking and related philosophy, cosmology and theoretical physics provided it doesn't require understanding long equations with Greek letters, Evolutionary Biology mainly because I'm a Dawkins fan. A lot of science stuff for the most part. Then also less serious topics like music, or movies and TV shows like Doctor Who. It's kind of sad really, you describe any classic series scene and I can tell you which episode it was off the top of my head.